World Hopping
by Sally Vivi Yee
Summary: Alice Grey is an angel who left the Overworld of her own accord without selecting a Master, and so has to brave the turbulent seas of the Phantomhive affairs that she has unwittingly entered while trying to find a Master that fits her ideals. Various slight pairings but nothing serious...maybe.
1. Prologue: Dissatisfied Angel

Prologue: Dissatisfied Angel

I don't like it up here. Angel 51 said that it would be better up here than down there, but I don't well understand why. They're all the same rotten people, the same rotten attitudes, the same rotten habits. When someone is a know-it-all, or even appears to be slightly smarter than the rest, they either get promoted to another rank and be hated, or are forced to conceal their talent and be hated.

Which is how I got into this situation.

Powers developed to the point of ridiculousness because it was the only thing I could do while waiting for the rumors that I had slain my mentor angel, Angel 51 & 51.1, simultaneously. Wings small and underdeveloped (and therefore child-like height) because of lack of trust in others. Homeless because of the isolation within any barracks I join. Uncontrolled mind because of the rejection of unity with other minds.

Similar thoughts ran through my head as I looked down, down, down at the Underworld below my feet. Angels fell from unstable clouds all the time; no one would think anything of it. Some even made it a contest to see how low one could go without breaking the barrier between the Overworld and the Underworld. But angels let out onto unstable clouds were always tested to have at least Level 3 magic capabilities, which usually meant that their wings were developed. A loophole that no one bothered checking. The cloud disintegrated and reformed at my touch. All angels were performing their daily morning prayer, so none but the most important would dare miss it.

A white cloud circled below me, like a fragile safety net. I suppose that if I still possessed a completely solid body, my heart would be beating twice its normal rate right now. I folded my wings as I angled myself downward toward the world I was told to never directly interact with until later on in my training.

But you never get something for nothing.

Even if all angels assembled for morning prayer, I would never get through the barrier without giving up a part of me in return for breaking rules. It was a price many had to pay, and unless one Fell, the barrier would alert the Apostles and rescue the falling Angel.

I did not even hesitate to give it up.

My mind drew a blank at first of what I was doing, but then I slipped out a paper from my pocket with the words, " _You are free now_ " inscribed on it in my own blood. A faint smile tugged at my lips.

My wings wrapped around me, sealed in a magical cocoon as if I really was a normal angel. So it was not even with a goodbye that I came blasting through the red-hot protector of the Earth in the dawn of the morning almost faster than the sun's rays.


	2. Chapter 1: Call to Action

Chapter 3: Call to Action

"Oh, this is very troubling!" cried the black presence, though his worried tone hardly matched his composed expression. "Where could the master have been taken?" His hand tightened almost imperceptibly around mine, just as his white gloved fingers held the silver tray of yellow-brown deliciousness aloft.

I stared up at the black presence, who had yet to properly introduce himself to me. His somber face, though, seemed to be directed not at me, but at the red blob running up what I assumed to be stairs with a white blob bobbing up and down next to it. My ears heard a click through the window and instinctively, I stepped away from it and tugged at the black figure's hand, but he refused to budge even an inch.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him that the sound was bad, to say _something_ , but-

 _"_ _Your voice is impure."_

Another step back caused my hand to slip from the black presence's. Who had said, no, shouted those words? "Sebastian!" the red blob huffed. It was a girl, and she was coming in hot, too hot. My brain knew where she would fall, but seeing the black presence and his eyes calculate the same, yet do nothing to stop her...he must be a fool. But then why did keep his composure? Why accept the humiliation? "I found a letter at the front door, yes I did!"

The black presence did not even blink as the girl came hurtling towards him. "Addressed to whom?" he questioned, somewhat bored.

The girl's eyebrows scrunched at the question, though she still came sprinting as fast as she could down the long corridor. "Er," she exclaimed, "'The Earl Phantomhive's Servants.'" As the red-haired girl came within meters of the black presence, I saw the space around the both of them flare red.

Someone was going to die.

Her foot glowed white as it came down unnecessarily hard on her shoelaces. The resulting fall was ludicrously fast, as if she had been flying 20 kilometers per hour. My eyes widened as I saw the fissures on the pane of glass before the bullet pierced through. The girl. The trajectory of the bullet. I raised my hand and a small glow of white formed around the golden round, pausing it for a second. Just a second.

 _SMASH._

The bullet redirected towards a vase, spilling its guts all over the colorful floor in shards of white porcelain. The shards themselves gleamed white as their edges softened to fall like harmless cherry petals upon the two figures lying on the floor. My eyes drifted into focus at the pair of them. The girl was red as a beet, while the black presence's seemingly dead gaze was fixed upon mine in silent...anger? Its hand, which had thrown the cylinder high into the air, stayed dead in place as the brownish cylinder came floated down to the tray as if weightless.

"Mey-Rin," the black presence commanded. "The letter."

"Y-Yes!"

I wobbled where I stood, shooting a hand out to the wall for support. I had just done something, something big. The black presence's (concerned?) eyes followed me for a moment before drifting to the beet-red girl and her unstable body. He then glanced back to me for confirmation, and as a sign that I had understood, a slight glow of white bordered her fading red.

In no time at all, the black presence had stood up and scanned the white piece of paper with lined up scribbles on it. "'If you want us to return your Master safely, bring _it_ to Nova Scotia Gardens in Bethnal Green,'" he stated without the slightest bit of concern in his voice. "'If you don't come before sunset, we will cut off your Master's fingers one by-'

"What a vulgar invitation."

The warm feeling was back in my stomach, and stronger than before. I ruffled my wings and took a step back, but an indifferent glance from the presence assured me that he could take care of it. I glared at him, but he gave no reaction. Two approached from the left, and at quite a speed, two approached from the right.

"Sebastian!" "What the hell happened?!"

"Nothing is the matter, so please don't worry," the black presence expertly lied with his closed-eye smile whilst holding up the beet-red maid.

"'Nothing'…?" the lady decked out all in red repeated while taking in the broken window and shattered vase.

"My apologies, everyone, but can I entrust the cleaning and supper preparations to you?" The black presence walked forward towards the two as if he had not just been shot at. Similarly, I realized that the beet-red girl was fretting over how she had inappropriately touched the black presence, not how she almost died because someone was shooting at her. The others, too, acted like possible snipers surrounding the house and shooting them to death whenever they passed by a window was more of an annoyance than an actual problem. Just who were these people?

"…?" The one with goggles questioned. "...That's fine, but..."

"I have a bit of minor business to take care of," the presence continued, as if the man with goggles had not said anything at all. "After you finish, clean this too, please." The black presence handed over the plate with the golden and brown cylinder on it, but not, I noted, the silver tray on which it had been served.

People exchanged glances, and even one of the group looked at the huffing man with the powerful red aura coming up to the group. Then it hit me: No one seemed to take in my presence. No one, but the black presence. Only he looked at me.

The man with goggles looked questioningly on at the black presence. After a moment, the man replied skeptically, "Oh?...Okay..." In the corner of my eye, the other one who had come with the man with the goggles was trying to lift the beet-red girl with little success. She kept slipping out of his hands as if she were made of jelly.

"I shall return before dinnertime," the black presence promised, taking my hand as he calmly strode away. And although I was able to keep pace with him, the black presence walked so fast that when the one with the goggles shouted something after him, all I could hear was an indistinct mumble.


	3. Chapter 2: Blood of Innocents

Chapter 5: Blood of Innocents

"Who the hell are you?!" a man demanded. A single man, but a man with interests in a female coworker.

The demon spared me a parting glance, a sweet, "Kill them, please" written in his eyes. I shook my head no, that I had had enough meaningless violence for one day, but he simply grinned again and sauntered inside. I opened my mouth to protest, but a bullet grazing my ear made me turn towards the men. All of them now pointed their rifles at me.

Tears congealed around my eyes. I heard all of the triggers click, all 53 of them. Please, please, I silently begged them, please do not make me do this. "Men, fire!" was the order given. Only twenty obeyed that order.

None of them lived.

The bullets did not make it out of their barrels, but instead exploded in their hands. Each started to catch aflame.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" they cried. More rifles pointed at me.

Please, don't. Don't shoot. Don't make me do this.

I dropped to my knees, but another twenty guns went off, and their owners started to burn brightly. The flames were not red, not orange, but a bright, bright white. The tips were slightly blue as they licked over the exposed flesh. Silently, I begged to make their agony short and my protective barriers acquiesced. First, they directed the blaze to the victim's heart and brain before fracturing all major bones. Next came the smaller bones, and still smaller, until only the hands, toes, and knees were left. Then the blood boiled to help with the heat. Their eyes twisted inward and spewed forth drops of crimson blood, which evaporated and left a black stain as their flesh was quickly devoured by the ensuing flames.

Two agonizing minutes later, their ashes were surrounded by a faint yellow glow, the glow of a soul that has wronged an angel. I...I did not know how to react. They hit first; one ran away and I did not pursue him. They harmed me, so...I had no choice but to harm them. Right?

One came at me with a knife, after having seen his companions fall prey to the misfiring guns. No sooner had the knife touched my flesh than it rebounded from his hand. "What…?" he prayed. "Please, please don't hurt me!"

The knife embedded itself into his head.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" a child's voice drawled. I looked not behind me, for I could not find the strength to stand. I trembled all over from the overuse of energy and the sheer number of abhorred deeds which I had carried out. "She missed one."

A mousy man in a suit trembled in much the same way I did, whilst holding the gun towards, presumably, the child's head. His eyes were faintly blue, but from his shaking, I could not see the cloudy sun reflected in them besides its overall shine. He clicked his gun and immediately burst out into flames. I need not play with his bones this time, for with my power thus gathered, as soon as he cried out in pain, he was already gone. Another pile of ash to be swept away by the wind. Another light lost.

I blinked twice, unmoving. I had become a killer, and I could never go back to Heaven with this blood on my hands. But neither did I want to stay in the Underworld. A cold hand clenched my heart, and I suddenly knew what it felt like for an abandoned pet. What place would accept me as I was now, dirty and impure?

"Get up," a boy's voice commanded whilst a foot nudged me in the back of my head. "Time to return to the manor."

By degrees, my quaking self was able to stand and support my weight. When I turned around, I learned why I had felt so uneasy. The black presence was smiling, almost contentedly, as he held the young child in his arms. The child seemed...calm to be surrounded by such a permeable, dark aura. The child's eye was a bright, blazing blue reminiscent of the dark blue bordering the horizon of the Overworld. The other was covered with an eye patch. Though his hair was not as black as the presence's, it was black in its own right, which only emphasized child's young age, though he was not so young to not know what he was doing; his eye had about him a certain knowledge and cunning that should not be pressed onto one so early in his years. As if to specifically point this out, his face and clothes seemed beat up, as if he had been kicked around, and his nose still held traces of dried blood.

The black presence was not the least bit damaged, though he sustained many bullet holes through his clothing, especially his tailcoat. Just what did I get myself into?

If the two presences were separate, I might not have noticed a thing, but staring at them together, the child's ruthlessness and purity combined with the black presence's might and cunning made for a chilling combination.

The child smiled again. It was nearly identical to the polite, fake smile given to me by The Demon in the hall earlier today. What long hours were these that seemed to carry the weight of lifetimes. The child opened its mouth to speak. "My lady," he introduced, "I know it might seem a bit late, but can we continue introductions at my manor over dinner?"


	4. Chapter 3: The Scream

Chapter 8: The Scream

A piercing wail drove the dreams from my head and the sleep from my eyes. Without thinking, I dashed out of my room and towards the sound. My footsteps thumping hard on the wooden floors beneath me made almost no sound in my ears. I crashed against a wall a few times, but was still able to locate Finny and Baldroy, who both set off to find the source of the noise while I jogged behind.

On my way here, I had recognized the scream as female and young, so I had thought it was Grell, but he unexpectedly left with Madame Red today. Then I thought that it was the Young Mistress, but she could not scream; she was mute. However, as my feet drove me nearer and nearer the sound of the noise, I remembered that it was indeed the way to her room, into which hours before I had been dragged to help Lady Elizabeth with the decorations. Soon, Baldroy burst open the door and it was indeed Alice that was screaming. Sebastian was already there, throwing her up into the air and setting her back down as if she were a baby, but to no avail.

"Oi!" Baldroy screamed over the din. "What's goin' on?"

Sebastian set the crying Alice back down. "I heard the Young Mistress' wail and I came right over," he sighed, completely at a loss. "I can't seem to get her to calm down."

"Did she drink her milk today?" I asked, shouting to be heard. "Children get cranky when they don't get their calcium."

Sebastian shook his head, his brow scrunched up tightly. "The Young Mistress is a vegan," he explained. "If she eats anything with animal products in it, she dies."

"WHAT?!" all three of us screamed. Sebastian nodded sadly.

"But forget about that for now. First," Sebastian ordered, "let's get her to stop screaming. Mey-Rin, take her right hand. Finny, take her left hand."

"But Sebastian, what-"

Sebastian's glare could slice stone in half.

Finny and I acquiesced.

Like a light switching off, the Young Mistress's wail ceased, though its echoes still heard throughout the room for a few moments longer.

"Geez," Baldroy cursed. "Why'd she start bawlin' in the first place?" Sebastian handed a handkerchief to the Young Mistress, who wiped her eyes with it.

"Let's discuss the matter in the morning," Sebastian suggested. "I'm sure all of you must want to go back to bed."

* * *

"' _I'm sorry to deceive you,_ '" Sebastian explained to our enraptured audience of three. Alice sat next to him, bowing. "' _I never meant to cause any confusion or harm. I...I'm just so bad at meeting new people and talking to them that my throat gets all caught up.'_ "

"Aw," I cooed, "young mistress, you don't have to make yourself speak, no you don't. Talking through Sebastian or one of us is just fine. Once we can learn to know what you're saying, that is." The young mistress rose from her bow and smiled at all of us, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"' _I'm ever so sorry for causing trouble for all of you,_ '" Sebastian apologized. "' _It's just...when I left my country, I forgot to bring my favorite teddy bear, and I can't sleep without it._ '" All three of us ran up to Alice and embraced her.

"It's fine, Alice," Finny comforted. "I can't sleep all the time! I'll stay up with you."

"But she might want a female friend," I interjected. "Someone she can share secrets with, she might."

"If you can't sleep," Baldroy offered, "then I'll whip up somethin' for ya real quick!"

"Warm milk does wonders," I agreed.

The young mistress blinked rapidly, flabbergasted, relieved and happy all rolled into one. She started to weep. "Aw," Baldroy complained. "Mey-Rin, ya made her start crying!"

"No," I shot back. "It was _your s_ tatement to make her something! Everyone knows that you're a lousy cook!"


	5. Chapter 4: Introductions

Chapter 6: Introductions

"She cannot speak?" Ciel Phantomhive, Earl of the Phantomhive estate and the Queen's personal guard dog, questioned skeptically. The Earl's gaze was directed at me, though his question was more to The Demon. I nodded. This same child slew many with his demon, without so much as blinking. How many more innocent has he killed? I kept these thoughts away from my face, however, and maintained a calm, flowing aura.

"She is not a Fallen angel, and has not pledged her allegiance with any one group, even the Angels themselves," The Demon explained, eyeing me suspiciously. "They speak first to those who they consider their Master, or else become exiled from Heaven."

 _How do you know all of this?_ I traced on The Demon's palm. He smiled faintly at me. "Demons were once angels," he replied. I started to trace my next question, but he drew away his hand to serve The Earl his dessert.

"So," The Earl responded, not missing a beat as he folded his hands to make a bridge for his chin. He stared at me with an intensity that I could only perceive as arrogance. "What will it take for her to pledge her allegiance with me?"

"She must deem that you and your associates are upright individuals worthy of her power," The Demon continued. "No amount of torture nor trickery can convince her otherwise. Any screaming nor pleading nor death threats are counted as 'speaking,' as they are spoken under duress. And if I may say so myself, my Lord, Angels are ridiculously stubborn against temptation in any form."

"I see."

"And considering that angels and demons are always at odds with one another, my presence does not help push the odds in your favor, my lord."

The Earl was silent at these words. I glanced up at him for a bit longer before biting down into my salad. Besides their cold regard to human lives, these two were...strangely normal. The Earl, when not ordering people to be killed, was a pouty child and The Demon, when not killing people on The Earl's orders, acted as a butler in a house full of idiot servants. Internally, I shook my head, recalling the sickening iron stench and black aura surrounding The Demon.

"...and what would convince her that I am 'worthy of her power'?" The Earl pried. I shook my head. I will _never_ serve you.

"'I do not know,'" The Demon inaccurately translated. "It differs for each Angel. Some are attracted to helping the needy. Some are attracted to loyalty to one's friends and family. Some are attracted to living by the Bible and are only loyal so long as the Master in question does not partake in one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And some...simply have to align with their goals. A Master does not have to be perfect, just good enough. And since she does not recall anything that happened in Heaven, she cannot say what her standard is."

I sipped my tea in silence, not trusting myself to demand why The Demon had killed so many people. The Earl bit into his cake, as if it were fuel for his brain and he must ration it out carefully. The Demon stayed by his side to clean up The Earl's dinner dishes and came to collect mine.

"What do you think of my associates so far?" The Earl questioned. The Demon glanced at me from the corner of his eye, holding out his hand as he did so.

I shrugged, tracing my answer onto The Demon's palm. You disgust me. "' _You have divine beings within your reach at all times_ ,'" he repeated. "' _I...do not know what to make of them. Only that they seem to care for you very much._ '"

The Earl's blue eye drifted away, as if I had said something boring, yet his face flamed up, as if I had made a confession to him that he was not expecting. I glanced up at The Demon, as if for an explanation, but he had withdrawn his hand and placed it over his mouth. His own face had turned a similar shade of red, though from the tears in his eyes, it might have been out of laughter. I myself picked up my fork and took bits and pieces out of my dessert. A heavy silence seemed to hang about the room and despite it being late in the day, it seemed unbearably hot. I coughed loudly.

"My Lord," The Demon suggested, seeming to have recovered from his...weird reaction. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation in the study."

* * *

"You think that killing the employees of Vanel was senseless violence?" The Earl challenged, knocking over a pawn of mine as he did so. I stared at the pieces of chess on the board and instead of reaching out to touch it, I willed my knight to move forward three spaces and to the side one space. It was a small challenge not to order my horse to jump the board and knock down his king directly.

"' _...I honestly do not see the point in it,_ '" The Demon translated perfectly, even including the slightly sobbing, pleading tone that I would have issued forth. "' _You could have had them Memory-Wiped. Why the killing? They had friends, family-_ '"

"I was not aware that you could change others' memories," The Earl grinned, folding his hands in a bridge again to rest his chin. "Why did you not inform me of this when I asked you a list of your abilities, Sebastian?"

"I do not possess such an ability," The Demon honestly answered, placing his right hand upon his heart. I narrowed my eyes at him, but his black aura did not flicker, did not flinch, so he was telling the truth. "I was only a Level 2 Angel when I Fell. Knowledge of rewriting...no, controlling one's thoughts, was restricted to Level 8 Angels. Are you a Level 8 Angel, miss…?"

"That's right. You still have not told us your name," The Earl realized.

I glanced away.

"Is there something wrong, Young Mistress?"

I stood up. "' _No,_ '" The Demon denied firmly. "' _Nothing's wrong. I...just don't have a name, nor a rank._ '" Nor would I tell you if I remembered.


	6. Chapter 5: Jack the Ripper Part I

Chapter 9: Jack the Ripper Part I

"' _Is it really okay to leave those three alone at your manor?'"_ The Demon translated fluently. And why could you not leave your demon back there with them?

"They'll be alright," The Earl drawled, staring out the window. "They have Tanaka with them, after all."

I thought back on that puppet-man that always held a teacup. He was surprisingly heavy for a tiny puppet, as if he were made of compact concrete. He was always holding a green teacup and saying, "Ha ha ha" when one came near. He was a strange person, but then again, they were all strange people. The Earl made a contract with a demon. The Demon was a demon. Mey-Rin was a former sniper. Baldroy was a former soldier. Finny was a former test subject. And Tanaka...was a puppet-man. Out of all of them, Tanaka did seem to be the most normal one. I smiled involuntarily.

"After we drop our luggage off at the townhouse," The Demon informed, "the Young Master and I shall investigate the crime scene and the Young Mistress shall stay at the townhouse."

"' _But why can't I come with you?_ '"

"Because the crime scene will be bloody and we wouldn't want someone like you to be emotionally scarred."

I blinked at him. And The Demon being ordered to torture me was _not_ emotionally scarring?

"'... _Really?_ '" The Demon replied, sighing where I would have. "' _Ciel, I'm an angel. I've seen worse. Besides, I might be useful and we need to go into town to pick up my dresses from Nina._ '"

The Earl's gaze wandered to mine, and once he confirmed that the fire there would not be content leaving me quietly at his town abode, he sighed. "' _Thank you_ ,'" The Demon thanked. "' _I promise not to be a nuisance._ '" The Earl grumbled something about idiots but did not deny my accompanying them.

Shortly, we reached the townhouse. It was a simple house compared to the manor. The walls were brown brick bordered in white on the corners. Smaller buildings branched off to the back-left and back-right with the same design. There were nine big windows in the front, five on top and four on the bottom, with the door occupying where a window could be on the first floor. Smaller windows were to the sides of the big end-windows and five tinier windows made a row above the second story big windows. I could not count the other windows on the branching buildings because The Demon opened the door for me and I politely rushed up to step through. The inside was also simpler than the manor. Doors branched off to the left and right, but only one for each side. A white and purple carpet lined the stairs, which all three of us promptly ascended.

The Earl and The Demon were making small talk as we went inside, but I was more interested in how high the ceilings were and how strong the glass on the window was. Just in case I needed to make an emergency exit sooner or later. I was still examining the place, however, when I bumped into The Earl on the top of the stairs.

I had assumed that he would walk through the doorway that The Demon had opened for him, but he had just stood still. A moment later, The Demon and I peeked our heads in and soon figured out why. The lady in red was throwing books off of the shelf while another person was searching for something in a vase. The room was filled with displaced books, overturned furniture and discarded tablecloths. Overall, it was a right and proper mess.

But right in the middle of it all, I detected a red aura. It couldn't be…

The brown-haired, green-eyed spectre of Death came into view, with his air of innocence. Well, two could play that game.

"Madame Red?! Lau?! What are you doing here?!" The Earl demanded. The one with the vase straightened up, and the lady in red ceased her search for whatever she was looking for. The Demon held out his arm to stop me from going forward, and possibly drawing attention to myself.

"Oh, you're early," the lady in red remarked.

"You coming here can only mean one thing," the man with the vase announced.

"The Queen's guard dog is making a move."

The Earl scowled at both the lady in red and the man with the vase.

* * *

"So," Grell Sutcliff, the man with the aura of Death shyly uttered, "wh-what are you doing around a man like Sebastian?"

I shrugged and typed into his palm. _I'm here for the Season,_ I lied. However, Grell only scrunched his eyebrows and asked me to repeat my sentence. Tracing out my letters more slowly, he tried to repeat what I said. "You're...going to the Four Seasons? But wouldn't the Sphere Music Hall be closer?"

I smiled but internally groaned. "Grell, where are those-...Oh!" Madame Red exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

Immediately, Lau floated to inspect me as well. With widened eyes, I backpedaled in a chance to escape. But Lau had already scooped me up and brought me very close to his face. It was then that I realized that his eyes were dark brown. _Your eyes are really pretty,_ I traced onto his face. Probably unlike your heart. "Why, thank you," he replied, "little one."

"What did the little lady say to you?" Madame Red questioned.

Lau answered with an oblivious smile. "I haven't the faintest idea."

"Then why did you say thank you?!" Madame Red screamed. "If you don't know what she said, then why act like you do?!"

The Earl sighed again. "Madame Red, Lau," he introduced, "this is Alice. Alice, this is Madame Red," The lady in red waved. "and Lau." Lau bounced me once in the air. "Alice is mute, so she communicates through tracing letters on people's palms or through writing."

"And _where_ did you happen to pick up a little bundle of cuteness like her?" Madame Red made a grab for me, but Lau stepped to the side and Madame Red came tumbling onto the couch. "Lau, give her! I want to see the Queen's guard dog's new chew toy."

 _...Chew...toy…?_

Madame Red dusted off her clothes and again made a grab for me, but Lau again stepped out of her way and down she went into a vase or water. At her third attempt, The Demon stepped in and snatched me from Lau and handed me to Madame Red, just as if I were a stuffed animal between two quarreling kids. Which I suppose, I was and they were. Just like Lau, she brought me very close to her face and examined me. Not exactly reverence, not exactly longing, shone in her eyes, but something akin to both those two concepts. Her face was not heavily made-up, but she did wear red lipstick, and a touch of eye shadow.

Harshly, she pulled me to her and mussed my hair. "She's such a cute little doll!" she cried. "Why don't you come and leave this dreary boy and come live with me, where you can properly learn how to be a lady?" I blinked. Just like that, she was _offering_ me a place at her manor?

"Madame Red," The Earl groaned. "please put Lady Alice down. We have business to discuss. Grell can attend to her in the drawing room."

And...dismissed.

"Ciel, you don't always have to rain on my parade!" Madame Red pouted, but put me down. The Demon immediately came forward and held out his hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grell swoon and his red aura deepen.

 _Why can't you come with me?_ I typed. _You understand me better than anyone else here._ So I can make sure you do not kill anyone.

The Demon smiled and glanced at the Earl. "Lady Alice," he gently informed, crouching down to my level. "Please play in the drawing room. If you need anything, don't hesitate to send Grell up to get me. We're going to talk about something really scary and how to rid ourselves of it, so be patient, okay?" Don't misbehave now, his eyes glinted.

All eyes were on him. He had pulled his face into a composed, almost pleading mask and had clasped both my hands in his impassioned speech. "' _But I can handle it!_ '" The Demon translated monotonously, as if to keep the creepiness of doing so to a minimum. I puffed out my cheeks in a child's way of being tough. I grabbed The Demon's collar in my faked emotional frenzy. He paused and wrinkled his brow in confusion, even as the corners of his mouth twitched upward in an amused smile before dropping back down. "' _I want to grow up fast, so I can talk with Ciel freely too!_ '"

Madame Red then crouched down as well, an almost tearful gaze in her eyes. "Alice," she spoke softly, "you can still grow up quick if that's what you want," Her expression hardened. "but that is no way to treat anyone. First, you will learn manners and etiquette before learning how to handle information about others."

I blinked rapidly, calling tears to my wide violet eyes. "' _...I see,_ '" The Demon translated a bit better. "' _So...it's not because I'm too small, but because I don't know enough._ '" I gave a big smile to Madame Red. "' _Just remember that you promised to teach me all you said you did!_ '"

With that, I grabbed Grell's hand and raced out of the room, while The Demon cried out, "' _Please bring down food for me too!_ '"


	7. Chapter 6: Welcome to Your Not Family

Chapter 2: Welcome to Your Not Family

 _51._

I opened my eyes to the bright, bright world.

 _Fifty-one._

My eyes adjusted in an instant, and my surroundings likewise.

 _50+1._

Spacious room. Various colors, not just white and violet. One reflective surface. Large bed and dresser. Large window next to bed.

 _49+2._

Probably afternoon.

 _60-1._

Rough sheets. Clothes strange and rough too. Where is my bow?

 _"_ _What do you do when you don't know who or what you are?_ _"_

I stared at my hands. They were still glowing white, though not as brightly as I had once remembered. At what time did I remember myself glowing?

 _"_ _You act dumb and wait for a chance to escape._ _"_

I held up a piece of my hair, which was long and pulsating lightly. I mentally checked my map, to find out that it was completely blank. I had no recollection of where I was, only that it must be far out in the countryside, because I smelled no fumes of the city.

I threw off the uncomfortable sheets and ruffled my wings. Almost absentmindedly, I flicked my fingers down my strange outfit of a white piece of cloth covering my body. The cloth twisted and turned as if it was encountering a strange poison and trying to fight it off. Eventually, though, the cloth rearranged itself and gathered at my waist and torso, splitting itself into two and two again to form basic arm and shin guards, as well as effective clothing to wear. When had I learned to do that?

 _"_ _Why are you here?_ _"_

It was as if my eyes were camera lenses exposed to the light after being in the dark for a while, desperately trying to focus and refocus the image in front of them. To steady myself, I sat back down on the bed.

I tensed as the door to the room creaked open. To my surprise, a trolley filled with all sorts of different goods rolled into the room, seemingly of its own accord, before the figure dressed in pure shadow came forward.

"You're awake," it voiced, perhaps with a tinge of surprise, "Young Mistress."

 _"_ _To make the world a better place._ _"_

The figure that came before me cast an uneasy feeling in my bones. His eyes were of the deepest crimson, set in a face so young and guileless that one might think that he was innocent of any charge put against him. His raven-black hair parted in the middle, messy, but the casual sort messiness that accompanies confidence.

My head throbbed at the thought, beating against the walls of my skull to tell me something. Something important about him. He was decked out in monochrome, but the opposite of me. Whereas I was in all white, besides his white undershirt and white gloves, he was all black. Black jacket, black tie, black waistcoat, black shoes, black hair, black aura. No, that wasn't it. It wasn't the clothes, not the appearance, something else...

My blank expression did not change after staring him in the eyes for a minute. He stared at me and I at him, both stationary and unwilling to break the silence. Finally, he smiled at me with a fake closed-eye smile and lifted the cover off of the topmost level of the trolley. A sweet scent wafted from the golden brown cylindrical item, and clueless as I appeared to be, I slid off the bed towards it.

"The Young Master will be quite unnerved if someone else gets the first slice," the black thing informed. I turned my gaze back onto him, as if uncomprehending. He bowed and placed a white-gloved hand over his chest in what I think was meant to be a salute. "Everything shall be explained to you in the Young Master's study. Come along."

The last two sentences were tinged slightly differently, not of a different tone, but a different _sound_ somehow. His hand beckoned me to follow as his other replaced the lid of the topmost level of the trolley. Wordlessly, I complied.

Closing the door behind me, the black figure placed my hand upon one handle of the trolley, as if I were a small child and would get lost along the way. Well, with the way I looked, I suppose I was. Windows lined one side of the passage, and out of them I could perceive a slight movement in the bushes, though as to what caused them, my damned blurry vision would not let me see. Of this I said nothing, and nothing still of the warm feeling I felt in my gut about the room we were heading up to. The presence and I did not speak in the passage, as if to speak was to break a trance, a daydream. I could not remember how many doors we passed, but then again, the black aura almost eclipsing my own would have made it hard to discern if anything to my right was actually real. I looked up at the red-eyed monster once, and he looked back down at me and smiled, like one would smile to a young one to remind her to keep out of trouble.

The door that we stopped at was made of real wood, but the warm feeling in my stomach left as we approached it. I glanced up at the black figure, but he seemed not to notice and knocked upon the door as if nothing had happened.

"Young Master," he chimed, "I brought your pie and afternoon tea."

No response.

"Master…?"

The man opened the door. I glanced up at him for clarification.

The room was empty. Papers were strewn about the place as if someone had been looking for something, but no signs of a struggle. The aura around the black thing grew stronger, as if he was looking at me. And when I turned to look at it, indeed he was. It seemed as though he were expecting me to react to something, though when I continued to stare at him blankly, his expression saddened. A breeze blew in from the open window behind the skewed desk and chair.

"Young Mistress," he sighed, "please come with me. I'm afraid that you will not have the time to enjoy these refreshments to-day."


	8. Chapter 7: Jack the Ripper Part II

Chapter 10: Jack the Ripper Part II

"-en Vincent disappeared, I was in the dark, but since I was still under orders from the Queen, I could not find out what happened until Madame Red explained it to me on that carriage ride away from the Earl's mansion."

 _So you are a family friend of the Phantomhives?_

Lau's smile curled upwards in the same manner The Demon's does when he's about to say, "Yes, my lord." "...you could say that."

After talking a bit more about matters of little importance, we lapsed into silence. The silence was not broken by the deserted shop of the Undertaker looming before us, nor was it broken when I entered first without knocking. There was only one red aura inside, so it was either someone like Grell, or it was a person who would soon forget this impolite gesture.

The shop looked deserted, but the red aura emanated from inside one of the coffins. Moving ever so slightly, the person inside started to laugh as he slid the cover to the coffin open. "Welcome~" he drawled creepily. In the dark candlelight of the parlor, his eyes shone a yellow-green, like Grell's, though the exact shape of them I could not make out. A grating sound came from the coffin lid the man in black was in. Lau happened to be right next to the opening coffin, while I was two meters or so away from it. "Would you be interested in trying out one of my special-made coffins to-day?"

Lau fainted. I blinked twice, and motioned for his hand before reaching into my pocket and retrieving a paper. _My name is Alice Gr_ _e_ _y and I am mute. I am expecting Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's guard dog, along with a few other guests here in a few minutes. I hope you would not mind if we waited here until they arrive?_

The man scanned the paper quickly, smiling all the while. "So you're with the Earl, eh?" he laughed. "Interesting. Interesting." I drew out another piece of paper and handed it to him.

 _What is your profession and why do you do it?_

"My profession is a funeral director, though I prefer to be called Undertaker," Undertaker responded, handing back all three slips of paper. "I can make anyone beautiful again. And as for why, I need a first-rate laugh to tell you."

 _A first-rate laugh?_

"Yes, a first-rate laugh! Then I'll tell you anything!"

 _Umm...what do you consider funny?_

"Anything."

Lau was still passed out and I prodded him with my finger. He would be alright, if a bit confused when he woke up. Was someone coming out of a coffin _that_ surprising? I thought that he had been through mafias and assassinations. So had someone walking from a coffin strike one of his deepest fears?

 _...Can you at least tell me this: Are you someone that personifies Death?_

"Ah," the Undertaker smiled, "so you're _that_ type of Angel."

...I will take that as a yes. In my mind, I scribbled out my answer and drew another paper from my pocket. My aura erased the previous message and wrote this: _In the gathering of the gods, He_ _r_ _a is oft to eat her own green leaves,_ _plucked straight from one of the two dark caverns she rules_ _._ I shifted my weight from foot to foot, then handed the paper to the Undertaker, who again scanned the paper.

Loud would not do it justice. Even deafening seemed too mild a word for the noise that burst out of the Undertaker's mouth. I firmly clapped my hands over my ears, but the ringing in them persisted. Coffins fell over from the noise. A loud double thump was heard outside, but paled in comparison to the monstrous giggle that he produced. Needless to say, the Undertaker's hat flew off of his head and landed at my feet, and other such articles performed seemingly incredible feats of levitation throughout the vibrating parlor.

I know not how long it lasted, only that at the end of it, I had slumped against a wall and curled up my aura protectively around me. As his laughter ended, I could make out other sounds: horses' hooves, and frantic footfalls, drawing nearer, and nearer…

...and nearer…

"Biscuits..." a red blur tantalized, moving back and forth across my vision. "Biscuits!"

"And just how do you expect to wake up Lady Alice like that?" a black blur complained. Neutral-colored blurs and one red-colored blur sat in the background, while a vibrant blue blob blocked out half of my vision.

"Alice," the blue blur called. "It's time to wake up!"

"But she looks cute like that," the black blur protested, chuckling. "Why don't we leave her here, in the Undertaker's care? Perhaps he could be..."

The blue blob made a disapproving noise, but otherwise assented. "So, Undertaker, since Alice already gave you your first-rate laugh, you can tell us your information."

"Mmm...no," the red blur refused, growing brighter and brighter. Something warm cradled my face and lifted my limp body up. "Alice already asked for information, so your request doesn't count."

"Bloody hell…" the blue blob cursed.

"I guess it can't be helped," the black blur complained.

"Sebastian?"

"Everyone, please wait outside," the black blur requested. "You must not peek inside under any circumstances _._ "

"But what about Alice?" a neutral-colored blob piped up.

"Grell can hold her."

Ew.

"B-But, Sebastian-…!" the distant red blob pleaded. "I can't! I'm not strong enough!" For once, I agreed, if not for the same reason.

"She can rest in one of my sound-proof coffins," the nearer red blob offered. "They're quite comfortable. Would you like to try one, Earl?"

The blue blur backed off. "Shove her in a coffin, Sebastian."

"Actually," the black blur requested, "my joke includes Lady Alice. Please, everyone, evacuate the premises."

The red blur giggled, but backed off. All of the other blurs disappeared. The black blur opened my palm and traced hurriedly. _What did you tell the Undertaker?_

I did not respond.

"She's asleep, butler," the red blob snickered.

"I am well aware," the black blur hissed, but nevertheless traced his message again.

"Well?" the red blob questioned, tapping its fingers on the coffin lid next to me. "I've yet to be more than amused."

The black blur went away and came back, next to the red blob. "Stare into my eyes," the black blur commanded. The red blob blinked blue, then green, and so did the black blur. Both of them blinked red, then black.

Loud would not do it justice.


	9. Chapter 8: Change of Job

Chapter 14: Change of Job

"Her eyes look weird," a trainee remarked. "Hey, Alice, where did you say you were from again?"

I smiled nervously, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of my face and sticking itself into my silver hair.

"Don't say that! She killed herself like the rest of us!" a girl defended, crouching down to my level and smiling sweetly. "Hannah Walker," she introduced. She regarded the group of three boys in the back of her, then switched her attention back to me. "Don't listen to these numbskulls."

"Hey!"

"A-Alice Grey," I stuttered and made a full bow. "Please take good care of me."

Hannah blushed profusely, bringing a hand to her face to hide it. However, her pale skin only brought out the contrast of her deep pink cheeks even more. She had taken a step back from me. The boys were silent. Eventually, one muttered, "Why'd they let a kid in anyway?"

"Don't underestimate Ms. Grey," Master William warned, standing right in the midst of the three boys. All trainee Grim Reapers jumped into their lines. Hannah had straightened up and stood as well, though opting to hold my hand. Master William stared down hard at me, though the clipboard in his hands seemed to suffer more damage than I. "She holds perfect scores on the entry exams and had to take special tests just because she is smaller and younger than all of you, but she even passed those with flying colors. I expect great things from you, Ms. Grey. _However_ ," Here he lifted his glasses with the pointer stick he held in his right hand. "just because you're young doesn't mean that you get special treatment, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" I shouted back. "I will not disappoint you, sir!"

His eyes glared at me critically, as if we had not rehearsed this. I visibly shook, but held my ground. "Sir, you're scaring her."

"Ms. Grey," Master William addressed, "you're not in the military. Use your inside voice."

One of the boys chuckled.

Master William was immediately on him without even looking. "Erin Smith," he intoned ominously, "trainees do not speak until they are spoken to, understand?"

"Y-Yes sir!"

"Very good," Master William mechanically stated. He moved to the middle of the line and faced us. "My name is William T. Spears. I'm one of the designated educators for you, this year's new recruits of the Grim Reaper Dispatch." With a touch of dramatic flair, he tilted his head downwards and adjusted his glasses with the pointer stick. As he started to move towards the door, he spoke again. "I will be instructing you throughout your training period. Feel free to come ask me questions about anything you find unclear. My shift ends at 6pm. I'll respond to questions asked before 5:30. Now to begin with—"

* * *

"And finally..." Master William opened the door and all of the trainees gasped. "Spectacles."

Many people were testing their eye sight and the people standing next to the charts had a pointer just like Master William did. "This department is equipped to handle all your glasses needs," Master William droned on. "it's the very backbone of the Grim Reaper Dispatch."

Other people were taking their eye tests in machines and still others were fitting lenses into frames, cleaning glasses or trying them out. We walked through this gigantic room of fast-moving people to stop yards away from an older-looking man with grey streaks in his hair, who was filing down an edge of a pair of glasses.

"Oh, no matter how many times I see this, my heart still quivers!" Grell gushed, fangirling over the old man.

"Who is that?"

"The department head, Lawrence Anderson," Master William answered. "He's generally known as 'Pops.'"

I wonder why.

"This is the legendary man who makes all the reapers' glasses…?" Hannah questioned, leaning forward to get a better view of him. I glanced from her to Master William to Pops. He did not seem so special, filing a pair of glasses like that, but if he made all of the reapers' glasses, then why was he in this one building? Surely there must be more people than this if he makes _all_ of the glasses for _all_ of the Grim Reapers in _all_ of those buildings I saw. And what a slow process! He files the glasses by hand instead of filing them by aura!

"So we'll be able to wear his glasses now, too!"

That sentence nearly split my heart in twain. All of them had been trained together and their lives were reset to roughly the same age, whereas I still looked like a child. By the introduction Master William gave me as well, it seems like they will naturally drift away from me even further.

"I'd like a new pair as soon as possible," another trainee complained. "The new-recruit spectacles are so dull."

One Look from Pops and the three trainees around me bunched up in fear.

I stared back at him, unperturbed.

"You lads have a long, long way to go before you're ready to wear Pops' glasses," Grell informed mockingly. As if the two girls standing in front of him were suddenly male.

"Only those who have passed the final exam are permitted to wear his glasses," Master William assented. He glanced over reverently to where Pops was still working on that pair of brown spectacles. "In other words, they are a sort of proof that you've become a full-fledged reaper."

"Sir, what is this 'final exam'?" Erin questioned. Master William turned to him and answered. While he was doing so, I slipped my hand out of Hannah's and made my way towards Pops, drawing all of my aura deep inside myself as I did so. I glanced to my hand, which seemed completely devoid of any life-energy. Perfect disguise, and it only took me two weeks.

"At the end of your training period, you'll form groups of two and screen, then collect a soul. That is your final exam."

I took silent steps towards the table that Pops was working. There were all manners of odds and ends upon it, as well as pairs of incomplete glasses.

"Screen a soul..."

Pops examined the pair of glasses he was filing down under the magnifying glass on his desk, then placing it onto the wheel.

"What, immediately?"

Grell turned away from the table where Pops was working to face Master William.

"I'm worried..." Grell confided. "By the look of it, this year's recruits are going to be useless."

"Mister, why can't you just use your powers to straighten it?" I inquired, releasing my hold on my aura at the same time as I spoke. Pops visibly jumped, nearly cutting his finger on the grindstone and dropping the unfinished pair of glasses.

"Wh-Where did you come from?"

"I've been here the whole time," I replied simply. "So why don't you just cut it to your liking using your energy?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, why do you use that cutting-stone when you can just use your fingers?"

I felt a hand upon my shoulder grip it tightly. If I had not instinctively hardened my aura around it, it might have really hurt. "Ms. Grey, that's enough," Master William chastised. He bowed deeply to Pops. "I'm sorry, Pops. She's a new recruit and doesn't know her place yet. I was speaking to Grell and got distracted."

Pops' face loosened somewhat, but still held a great deal of anger. "It's no problem," he finally sighed. Then he caught me in the cross-hairs of his Look. "But just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Understood, sir."

Master William's hand tightened around my shoulder. I bowed slightly, intoning, "I am very sorry sir. It will not happen again."

"It better not."


	10. Chapter 9: Examination Part I

Chapter 15: Examination Part I

"I will now give you the details of the practical portion of your exam," a plain, brown-haired grim reaper announced. "Erin Smith, you have a B in practical skills, a C in written exams, and an A in ethics, giving you a B average."

"Alice Grey, you have a triple A in practical skills and ethics and a double A in written exams, giving you a double A average. Congratulations."

A double A in written exams. Damn it. Master William is going to be disappointed in me, though I still I smiled brilliantly, noting a silently fuming Erin as I did so. "Thank you, good sirs!"

"The human in question is scheduled to die in one month. You have-"

Erin slammed his hands down on the table and pointed accusingly at me. "Why do I have to pair up with a girl, and moreover, a kid?!" he complained. I stared blankly at him, my face belying my anger. "She's _hardly_ fit to be a reaper!"

"Objections to the Association's rulings are not permitted!" a young reaper objected.

Sitting in front of Erin, the older reaper raised his hand up in a stop sign and the younger reaper backed off. The older one reminded, "Erin Smith, you have a straight B average, do you not? Alice Grey not only is an exceptional student who passed with a double A average, but she also personally requested to take the practical three weeks after becoming a trainee."

"I don't care what abilities she has! A girl is a girl, no question about it!"

"Here is your information," The younger reaper spoke, as if Erin had never spoken. He slid a black folder across the table.

"Again, the human in question is scheduled to die in one month. You'll spend that month examining whether she deserves death. Naturally, you're free to give your conclusion before your time runs out. Here is the data on your target. I pray for your success."

I bowed deeply to Erin. "Thank you for being my partner. I look forward to working with you, Erin."

When I rose from my bow, I found a hand just millimeters away from my face, already cutting through my aura field. Immediately, I hardened my energy around that spot, stopping it in its tracks a hair's breath from my skin.

"Hey Erin," I questioned, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I was just about to get slapped, "can we get lunch after we find our target?"

Erin removed his hand, but continued to glare angrily at me. Looks like I had found myself a dog.

"So, what's this _really_ all about?" The Earl questioned, folding his hands in a bridge on the table, whereupon he rested his chin. "Why come back all of a sudden?"

"What are you talking about?" I inquired, deliberately fluctuating my aura. "I just popped by to say hello."

The Earl shook his head. "No. There must be another reason why you're here."

I glanced down at my hands, dropping all semblance of cheerfulness. Erin raised an eyebrow. "...well, it's about Erin and my assignment. Our _real_ assignment. We have to reap a soul."

"Go on."

I hesitated.

Erin stood up and blurted out, "Oh, bloody hell! If you're not going to tell him, I will! Phantomhive, your-"

He only saw a blur, then a scythe poked itself at his neck. His word was cut off mid-sentence. "Erin, let's not do anything rash, okay?" I smiled.

"Like Hell I will!" He attempted to punch me, but I diverted it, dropping my scythe back into its sheath and twisting his arm behind his back. The Earl and The Demon watched on, half-surprised, half-amused.

When the realization hit them, The Earl's cool mask shattered into sand-sized pieces while The Demon's eyes simply narrowed. "Who is it and when?"

I shook my head. "Someone who doesn't deserve it. It's in a month or so."

"Aren't there exceptions?" That came from The Demon.

I shook my head again. "Exceptions are only reserved for those who could change the world through their presence. And regular lives do not count, since they only make small ripples in an otherwise large pond." And since it's _your_ fiance, I will enjoy every second of your agony.

The Earl stood up, angry. "Well, bloody tell me who it is!"

I sighed. "Earl, I would tell you if I could, believe me. I'm already stretching the rules by telling you this much. Consider it a favor repaid for saving me."

The Demon squinted at me, no doubt to see if I was lying, but my aura was smooth and true. The Earl stood up from his chair, his face flushed. "It's in a month, correct?"

I blinked. "Yes," I stated solemnly. The memory of The Demon doing those...things to me flashed all too clear, but I kept my eyes low and half-lidded.

"Earl, I dearly pray that you'll succeed."

"I will."

I grinned at him, a sad, sad grin as I dropped Erin's arm. No, it would pay off in the future. I would only have to hold in the chuckles until then. "Good," I stated. "Because the next time we meet, we'll be enemies."


	11. Chapter 10: Jack the Ripper Part III

Chapter 11: Jack the Ripper Part III

All of their auras are stained pink, growing redder by the second.

"Oh, that dress is so cute!" A voice gushed. "There are so many wonderful dresses here! How cute!"

How can I find who I need and stop it?

A blue-eyed girl and her demon glanced straight through me at what must be their worst nightmare. The demon grabbed the girl's arm and quickly led her away from the voice. It was only a girl's voice, and weren't The Earl and The Demon here to gather information on Jack the Ripper? Then what had caused them to flee? A little girl's voice?

A drop of sweat rolled down my neck at the realization. It must have been someone they knew. As I turned around, it was indeed a girl dressed in red and pink that stood there, in the middle of the tables of food staring at me with eyes of emerald and hair of spun gold.

"Your dress is sooo cute!" She proclaimed, clasping my hands in joy. "Wherever did you get it?"

 _Hopkins' Tailor Shop,_ I replied.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, as if receiving oddly specific answers from a piece of paper a girl handed her was normal. "Really? What about the material?"

 _M-Material?_

"Yes. Do you know where it's from? How it's made? And how _ever_ did you convince Nina to make you such a charming outfit?"

I did not know how to answer that. I realized why The Earl and The Demon had fled at the first sign of her. Whoever this girl was, her enthusiasm and energy was off-putting, not to mention that the sadness she beheld in her eyes belied something that could be much darker.

I knew that my dress was made of a soft material, but since I could always change and hold its shape with only a little of my aura, I never thought it important. I never asked Nina and zoned out her long rants, knowing that only if it looked good to The Demon and was functional, it would probably pass by society's standards. After a moment, the girl sensed my uneasiness and switched subjects.

"Oh, that must have seemed rude," she realized. "My name is Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford, daughter of the Leader of the British Knights, Marquess Alexis Leon and Francis Midford. Wife of the Queen's Watchdog."

Wow. The Earl already has a betrothed? _My name is Alice Grey. I'm a foreigner from a land bounded by seas and very far away. I was recommended by Queen Victoria to come here to enjoy myself before I had to leave._ That was true enough, though the details were intentionally obscured.

"So, now that introductions are out of the way, who's your type?" she badgered. Suddenly, her last questions did not seem so big and threatening.

 _What do you mean?_

"Who do you think you're attracted to? A cute girl like you _must_ be attracted to someone!" she beamed. "Just tell me and I'll introduce you!"

I blinked. I came here because I refused to stay at home, and it was a social gathering, so I could probably find a Master here, but...I really did not think this out. I needed to catch the Viscount of Druitt, Aleistor Chamber's attention, but I had no idea how.

 _...I think I'll be fine on my own,_ I admitted sheepishly. _I want...I want to try to stand on my own two feet for once. If I do find anyone, I will be sure to call you over._ And if I fail to somehow gain the attention of the Viscount in the next few minutes, I would have an energetic friend who could introduce me. Not a tough proposition, considering I had no idea what the Viscount looked like.

Elizabeth smiled knowingly. "Okay," she smiled. "I'll get out of your hair now." She winked as she left to find more cute dresses, dropping the slips of paper on the floor.

"Ah, I thought she'd never leave," someone behind me exhaled. By degrees, I half-turned to meet the person standing not fifty centimeters from me. I had been aware of his presence for some time, but I had thought he was staring at Elizabeth, not me. His eyes shone with a deep violet, like mine, and his hair shined like spun gold. Although his aura was neutral, his eyes betrayed something different.

As I reached for my pocket of papers, he took the opportunity to take that same hand in his own and kiss it. "I'm sorry for being so audacious, my little dove," he apologized while smiling nicely. His smile...who had I seen that bright, brilliant smile on before. I tilted my head in confusion. "I imagine you already know who I am."

 _No...I'm sorry, sir. I don't,_ I admitted. And I would much like it if you stayed away from me. _I followed my friend Ciela here, but I can't find her or her tutor, and she never explained to me where I was being taken or why._

"Ah, how bad of her," the man in white clucked. "Well, it can't be helped. I am the host of this party. My name is Aleistor Chambers, the Viscount of Druitt, though you may simply call me Lord Druitt if you would like, little dove." I glanced downward, blushing, at that pet name, though secretly thankful that _he_ had come to _me_. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

 _...Not exactly, my lord._ I confessed. _Aside from Ciela, I know not a single soul here, and the ones I have talked to do not seem interesting. Aside from you, my lord._

"Is that so?" he responded, a smile evident in his voice. "Such an honest little dove." He extended his hand slowly, tentatively, and, with the tip of his index finger, lifted my chin to force me to stare into his eyes. "Such beautiful eyes you have, my dove. Would you like to accompany me somewhere?"

I blinked at him, too surprised to hand him a paper.

"To a private place." I glanced to the side, blushing but still considering the options. Lord Druitt dropped his finger from my chin. "You don't have to if you don't want to." The disappointment was evident in his voice, if not in his eyes.

... _I will come with you,_ I decided. _I don't think I can gain anything by being a wallflower for the rest of the night._

Lord Druitt smiled again, though a bit creepily. He casually slung an arm around my waist as he led me up the dark stairway. "Lord Druitt! Lord Druitt!" a familiar (fake) female voice shouted after us. The Earl. Lord Druitt's grip around my waist tightened, but otherwise, we did not respond to the call. Instead, we sauntered down the hallway and turned into a dark room. I handed my next paper to him, but the light was so dark that only I would have been able to read it.

As the Viscount closed the door behind himself, I noted that this room was filled with a substance other than air. But I was no human. I was able to gather my aura about myself to filter it, but I had to pretend otherwise. So I slumped back against the wall and slowly slid to the ground. The last vision I allowed myself before submitting to the blackness was the Viscount's twisted smile. No one was ever as they seemed, not even the brightest of humans.

"Beautiful," he whispered close to my ear. "It would be a shame to sell you to those filth, little dove." A soft glove brushed my cheek and I smiled at the touch, though inside, I retched. Just a few more hours, I promised myself. Just a few more hours. Gloved fingers cupped my face and ran up to my ears. He sighed as he picked me up by my armpits and set me on my feet, hugging me tightly. "Tonight, if I can find someone else less worthy of my affections than you, my dove, then you'll stay with me. Forever." His hand stroked my back as if to comfort me, not himself. It took all my willpower not to stiffen and kick him right then and there. "Like a dove sent out in the Flood, you found my heart and carried it back with you far, far away. Yet I could not resist your delicate wings, your muteness nor your fragility. If I did so, then that would be an insult to your beauty, my dove." He pulled away enough to let my head loll back in unconsciousness.

The Viscount allowed one small peck on the lips before slinging me in his arms, bridal fashion, and laying me down on something soft. "I will be back for you soon, my dove," he promised. With a few hushed footfalls and a click of the door, I was alone.


	12. Chapter 11: Destroying Worlds

Chapter 4: Killing Worlds

"Wait, there's something strange..."

" _You'll only need to twist yourself upside-down to turn your aura like mine._ "

One runs behind the car. One controls the minds of the drivers. Like clockwork.

 _"_ _Here, let me show you..."_

The man in the shotgun seat blinked and it solidified. The driver remained eyes on the road unaware.

" _Of course, you might not be able to return to the Overworld, if you accept this knowledge…_ "

No one suspected the passing glimmer in the trees.

 _I_ _shook my head no. There must be another way._

"Wh-What's that?!"

 _A sharpened stick works just as well as a spear or a fork._

"What, you meet a bear in the woods or someth—"

 _Don't let them think._

One uses the other's strength to boost up to twice the speed possible.

 _Don't let them believe anything other than what you want them to._

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

 _Humans are so much more straightforward than angels._

"What's with you guys? Did you attract too much attention?"

 _The other creates the thudding footsteps unmistakable as_ _an incoming predator._

"Speed up!"

 _Humans fear the unknown so much more than anything else. So easy to exploit._

A sharp turn leaves a long trail of dust. Zero visibility. Zero information of the predator.

 _Time to end this game. Demon, go._

"It-It's coming!" "Cut it out already!"

 _Speed up. Speed up. Speed up. But it's useless. "Die."_

"No good, it's here!"

 _Crunch. Crunch._

Boom.

" _Now are the both of you going to cooperate or are you going to die?"_

…

 _…_

…

 _…_

"...Oi. What happened?"

I said nothing. Simply holding the line up when there were so many different wavelengths to process and block out was a challenge in it of itself.

The Demon stared down the driver and passenger. He did not react when the hostages both pleaded silently with me to release them. I stared at them, both of them. One had a wife waiting back home and another had a child. I stared at The Demon. His cold glare and menacing aura around both of the captives seemed to paralyze them into submission. He held their lives in his hands just by standing on the car to balance out their weight. If I could just convince their boss to send a rescue team to them. If I could just _speak..._

"Don't," he warned as I lifted the receiver to my mouth. "We have to make sure that their master is listening before we ask. We do not have the right to talk, after all." A silent jab at my own position.

Sounds of a beating were heard from the line. I almost gasped aloud as I realized what was being done.

"Hey, if you don't answer me right now," an angry voice demanded, "I swear I'll kill you mongrels!"

The demon motioned for the receiver and without cutting the signal, I handed it to him. "Hello," he acknowledged. "I represent the Phantomhive estate.

"Would my master happen to be there?"

…

A small wind blew as silence reigned supreme among us four.

Two were frozen in terror, not knowing if The Demon that had tracked them down by simply running up to their car would kill them or not.

One was pausing for dramatic effect.

And one was unable to speak.

I stared upon the cruel, cruel demon that held the lives of two others on a whim. A smirk rose to his lips, but not to his voice as he spoke into the receiver.

"Hello? What's the matter? Hello?"

I gazed at the mere mortals who we, the ones who were supposedly above their level, tortured. How were we better than they were? Weren't we supposed to set examples for how they should act? Or at least not interfere with their affairs as much as possible? Why this senseless violence? To what gain was it in scaring and hurting them so? And why was I helping this monster?

"Very good my lord," The Demon decided, not without a pensive yet amused smile tugging at his lips. "I'll be there to pick you up momentarily."

I do not like this person.

"Thank you for letting me use your telephone," he thanked with a kindly smile, obviously belying his murderous intent. I immediately cut the connection and felt a rush of my power come back to me. Polluted air was much harder to transmit messages to and from than I had initially expected.

A small trickle of water came out one eye, but I quickly wiped it. "By the way, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you," The Demon added. "First, who is your master?"

The two just stared at me as if I held all the answers, so I shot them a pleading look to dispel their hopes. As I saw the light break apart within their eyes, a part of me broke as well. I _should_ save them. I _could_ save them. I _would_ save them...

"I'm not a very patient man," The Demon menacingly articulated.

...if I had not known that I would be shredded in an instant.

I thought to place a hand upon his shoulder, but decided against it. I should at least show my loyalty thus far before finding a more suitable candidate for a Master. "You don't want to turn into Humpty Dumpties, do you?" My wings ruffled at the threat. Surely, he wouldn't…?

Finally, one of the captives burst out, "He's Azzurro Vanel of the Ferro family! He has a hideout in the northern East End!"

"Ah...Aaaahhh..." I managed to protest to The Demon standing up. That did not count as speaking. He wasn't seriously going to…

He grinned at me with a smile that doubtlessly was supposed to melt my heart. Instead, it chilled it to the bone and had I not known that he would have dodged and killed me, I would have thrown his cutlery back towards him to pierce both his eyes _and_ his wretched heart.

"Please, have mercy! We only work for him!"

I ran up towards the car, but he stopped me with a Look. "Oh, I see," he stated casually. "I'm sorry to have stopped you. Please, be on your way."

And with that, both unique human beings probably from incredibly difficult circumstances dropped to their deaths and left their loved ones without a source of income.

I dropped to my knees. Never, never have I seen this kind of injustice. Wasn't this the sort of thing that I was supposed to be preventing? When had this all gone wrong? He never said that we would have to _kill_ them…

"Young Mistress," The demon informed with an amused smirk and neutral tone. "Meaningless deaths occur many times a day. It will not be your duty to save them."

I stared after the burning flames rising from where the two human beings were being burnt alive from the combustion of their car. I cried for their lost lives.

"Lesson Number One: Choose which worlds you destroy."


	13. Chapter 12: Examination Part II

Chapter 17: Examination Part II

"And then I thought to myself, 'There are intruders,'" Drossel Keinz stated as I entered the gift shop. I held up my hands in a sign of peace.

"Hello, Mr. Keinz," I greeted, smiling as well as dropping the coloring in my eyes. "My name is Alice Grey. I was wondering if I could buy a doll. I saw them from the shop window and they're ever so lovely."

Drossel only blinked. "You're lying."

"Yup!" I smiled again, skipping into the shop. "I'm actually here to pick up a little client of yours who is due to come in a day or so."

Drossel's face did not change, but a female doll appeared in the doorway behind him. He sang as he turned the music box, "Build them up with-"

"I'm not here to take the body, Mr. Keinz. I'm here to take the soul," I informed, "of a Miss Elizabeth Midford."

He tilted his head yet again, this time to my partner who was waiting outside. "And what is he here for?"

"Erin is my partner. Erin, you can come in now."

I heard footsteps behind me, too quick to be Erin's. I gathered up my aura around myself, hardening it considerably, but the blow never came. I slowly turned around and I saw the same doll that had been in the doorway now holding Erin's hand from coming down on my head.

"Aw, you don't have to hit me to get me to like you!"

Erin's face screwed up in rage as he flung the doll away from himself. The doll, however, oriented herself immediately upon being thrown and landed gracefully a few meters away. It glared at Erin, hard. "How do you know all of these weirdos, Grey?" he demanded. "Explain yourself."

"I don't," I answered honestly. "I don't know Mr. Keinz at all. I just snatched a..certain reaper's info on Mr. Keinz before I came to work today.

"Anyway, Mr. Keinz, I would like to know about your process of making people into dolls, since I have to stab your client with my Death Scythe and all. I was wondering if my doing so would not be to your liking."

Drossel blinked. "Let me show you to my master."

* * *

"Master, these are Alice Grey and Erin Smith. They are here to help bring Ciel Phantomhive to us," Drossel introduced.

The man who Drossel introduced as Master stood up to greet us. Afternoon light streamed behind him, blinding my vision for a second in contrast with the dark hallway. White bangs framed his face, mostly pushed to the left side. Amethyst eyes twinkling in a pure, pale face. A kindly smile untouched by anything and everything around him.

"Grim reapers," Angel 51 stated. "Here to collect Drossel's soul, I take it?"

I grasped for words, but they eluded my tongue, as an egg yolk eludes one's hands. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I had thought of this reunion so many times, but this is better than I had ever imagined it.

"Alright, Grey. This is the last straw. Just how _the fuck_ do you know so many weirdos?!"

"Pardon, Mr. Smith?"

Erin lunged at me, and, incapacitated as I was, I could not dodge. He knocked me clean off of my feet, but I only gathered my aura to make it feel like I had landed on a bed of angel feathers. By degrees, my speech returned to me. "E-Erin, this is Angel 51, my former mentor. Angel 51, this is Erin Smith, my partner for the Grim Reaper Dispatch examination."

Angel 51's face stayed impassive as he newly regarded me, though his aura spelled distrust in his thoughts. "Alice Grey, was it?"

Getting up from my position on the floor, I replied, "Yes sir."

"Knock out your partner."

"Understood, sir."

* * *

"Ah, so that is how it is," Ash Landers, formerly known as Angel 51, exclaimed, sipping his cup of tea. Drossel placed my newly-filled one back upon the table, and also tucked Erin's blankets in. Erin, though tossing and turning in his sleep, still did not awaken.

"Yes, and unfortunately, I cannot be of more service to you than I already am," I apologized.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "You are still willing to help me, even after swearing yourself to another?"

I nodded, taking a sip from my cup of tea. "Yes. Impure as I am, I am still willing to help you in whatever means that I can, as long as they do not coincide with an instruction of mine given to me by Master William. It is...thanks for helping me through my time in the Overworld."

"Of course. How far did your training in the Angel Academy go? And in the Grim Reaper Dispatch?"

"I passed both with flying colors, though I could never make my feathers as strong as yours are, sir."

"Where is the Grim Reaper Dispatch?"

"It is in a region of space not in this dimension, but has multiple entry points throughout London, and the world. It is not a large dimension, though included in it is every single grim reaper in the world, divided into branches by country and sometimes by city. The Grim Reapers are allowed to bring back relics from a future time, but only for the customization of their Death Scythes. And even that is restricted greatly."

"How can one gain access to these entry points?"

"By showing one's phosphorescent green eyes and one's red aura to the one guarding them. They're easily tricked by high-level angels, though the identification to the buildings is a bit harder..."

He nodded. "I see. Get out of my sight and take that bag of trash with you. I have to prepare for our little guest's visit tomorrow." Ash stood up and strode across the room, his back now turned to me as he left.

I smiled, bowing politely as I rose from my chair. "Of course, Mr. Landers."

"Master likes you," Drossel noted as he and I carried Erin out the door. I carried his feet, and Drossel carried his head. "He didn't kill you."

I smiled sheepishly while leading Drossel and I around a corner. "Well, Mr. Landers and I _do_ have quite a history together."

"I wish Master would like me as well as he likes you."

"Well, you've been serving him for a long time, right?"

Drossel looked away. "...I suppose so."

"Then of course he likes you!" I smiled, placing Erin's legs down as I went to open the door to the shop. "He'd be crazy not to."

Drossel tilted his head. "If Master had not ordered me against it, I would make you into a doll."


	14. Chapter 13: Find Him

Chapter 14: Find Him

 _"_ _Now that you know what everything means, let me answer your original question: I got bored of it all. Reaping souls day in and day out, never doing anything different or exciting. Then I met a few...people, and decided to quit. I then took up many projects involving life after death, of which are very interesting. Would you like to join?_

 _"_ _Pity. Well, think about it this way: If I succeed, then no one ever needs to die again. Grim Reapers will cease to have meaning and return to being humans. Demons will be able to eat their fill without disrupting the number of souls available for them to eat. People will simply live on after they have died. Loved ones need not to pass away. Doesn't that sound like the most noble goal of all?_

 _"_ _Ah, if you're that hell-bent (giggle) on it, then there's nothing I can do to stop you. When you get the chance, mention my name to any Grim Reaper and they'll take you in. But beware, for reaping souls is not a job you can do and escape unscathed."_

Every light has its dark, and for every soul that I take, I give a part of myself to the deceased. _'And never send to know for whom the_ bell _tolls; it tolls for_ thee. _' And if I can become a Grim Reaper, I can save as many people as possible while you finish your research._

 _"_ _Wise words coming from a little angel who can't even remember her name. Well, if you're still interested in my offer, stop by my shop again anytime~"_


	15. Chapter 14: The Examination Part III

Chapter 18: Examination Part III

"As always, thanks for the info, Grey! Sebby, here I come~" Grell shouted to the rooftops as he condensed his red aura around the pads of his feet for extra speed.

"And why did you have to tell that red-haired bimbo about our assignment?" Erin demanded. "He'll just make things more complicated!"

I stared at the traffic jam on Islington, no doubt caused by the death of another mortal, of which another pair of trainees was taking care of. "He'll ensure that only Elizabeth Midford dies in this transaction," I informed. "The Earl, despite his looks, is physically weak and if separated from his demon butler, is little more than a squawking child. Grell earned a triple A on his practical skills to the Grim Reaper Dispatch, so he will be able to protect the Earl. Or at least, make sure to take the brunt of the force while the Earl gets away." To live in pain of yet another family member leaving him.

A pink bonnet, pink dress and blonde hair exited a carriage near the place where Drossel was playing. "Show time."

An hour later, Erin whined, "Why can't we just kill her now and watch her Cinematic Record? I can't stand waiting."

"We have to wait until Mr. Keinz puts the poison into her system," I reminded. "Mr. Keinz, Erin's getting impatient, and for good reason. Earl Phantomhive will be here soon."

"Build it up with wax and stone, wax and stone, wax and stone. Build it up with wax and stone, my fair lady," Drossel sang as he undressed Elizabeth. He poured a liquid down Ms. Elizabeth's throat and her skin paled.

"Oh my god," Erin gasped, turning away. "I can't watch this."

"Alice," Drossel called. I immediately dropped down from my perch on the upper story to come right beside him. "You may remove the soul now."

I turned to him, then to Lady Elizabeth, whose shoulders were now exposed. "Drossel, could you sing, please? And stand back about five feet?"

Drossel obeyed, then asked, "Which song, my lady?"

"The one you were singing before. Build it up with wax and stone, I believe."

"You liked it?"

I smiled. "Yes, I did. Erin are you ready?"

"Just cut her open and let's do this!"

"Build it up with wax and stone, wax and stone, wax and stone..."

I took a deep breath. I was about to end someone's life, albeit someone dear to a senseless murderer, but someone who has friends, family, a future...I took out my Death Scythe and stabbed it into her neck.

Reels of Cinematic Records came gushing out in a phantom blast, spewing out like tentacles all over the ceiling, as if to search for a way out. Erin attempted to bring out his Death Scythe and begin sucking them in, but some wrapped around his legs and arms, and instantly he was on the floor, writhing in agony as the records delved themselves into his own body. I, on the other hand, kept my scythe pointed directly upon where I had first pierced it, so the records had to grow immensely long to shy away from my scythe yet still get to me. And if they did, somehow, grow to be about that size, I simply touched them with my fingers, and they dissolved before it like snow disintegrating in one's hands on a chilly day in April, then reforming a few meters away, too afraid to touch me ever again. One of the perks of being an angel, I suppose.

In fast-forward, my eyes witnessed the life of Elizabeth Midford. The happy times. The fencing lessons. The fire. Ciel returning. Even the party. It broke my heart to see it all, but a vision of the sweet agony that would be on Ciel Phantomhive's face would be more than enough to repay him for what he made The Demon do to me. Not to mention that my Master's order left me no choice but to be impartial to all souls, and Elizabeth's, touching as it was, did not make for a world-changing life.

I gathered up as much Cinematic Record as I could, then tended to Erin. With a few cuts, he was free and I quickly soaked up the rest of Elizabeth's Cinematic Record in my scythe, though his glasses were far away from him.

"Elizabeth Midford. No remarks."

"Take care of your glasses," I chastised, slotting his glasses directly into their place. Erin blinked, as if seeing me for the first time. I was suddenly aware that I had dropped the condensed aura around my eyes, letting the amethyst show through. I blinked and the condensed aura was back. "Something wrong? You look like you just saw an alien."

Erin blinked again, then glanced away, blushing. "I-It's nothing."


	16. Chapter 15: Found You

Chapter 12: Found You

A sharp object flew through the doorway at top speed. Again, I condensed my aura, though around the object this time, and drew it away from me. A red aura was at the end of it.

"Hm, you aren't human," the red aura remarked. "No, you're an angel."

I slowly stood up from my position on the bed, condensing my aura if he should strike again. As the steel rod retracted, two phosphorescent green globes set behind frames of darkness appeared, then the white forehead and slicked back hair, then the black suit and finally, the end of the metal rod. It was him.

"My apologies," the red aura man drawled ironically. "I am William T. Spears of the Management Division of the Grim Reaper Dispatch."

I paused a moment, not because I was astonished, but because I...was afraid. If I did this, my mind would never again romp the earth like the mind of God. But he was The One. The One the Undertaker had told me about. The One who could take me to fulfill my goals and my dream. The One who could take me out of this wretched Underworld. So I cast aside all doubts and announced loudly, "Alice Grey. Angel, unknown level, unknown rank. Not Fallen. No memories of the Overworld."

My aura stained itself pink, though the personification of Death did not seem to notice. "You did not state your affiliation."

"A-As I had previously stated, I have no memories of the Overworld, which is why I cannot remember my rank nor level."

The man smirked. "I am sorry for causing you trouble," he monotonously apologized. "I hope I did not cause you undue harm." His glaring eyes said otherwise. Trying not to cringe, I smiled graciously.

"Not at all, Mr. Spears," I chirped. "I was actually wondering if you could do something for me."

He rose from his bow. "Oh? Were you perhaps waiting for me?"

I nodded. "I was, in fact. I was wondering where I could find the Grim Reaper Dispatch. I would like to apply."

Master William gave me a Look but did not leave. "Grim Reapers are-" I waved it away.

"-people who were once human, who have killed themselves. The Undertaker told me," I informed. Master William's eyelids flew open a millimeter, then promptly came back down.

"Why do you know the Undertaker?"

"No reason." That was the truth. The entire affair had been...surreal.

"Where is he?"

"Why?"

He did not answer, only stared straight ahead with a stone face.

I stared straight in front of me, drawing in my aura, partly to conserve energy, partly to appear strong.

Master William sighed. "Will you consent to being blindfolded and led there in the morning?"

I smiled. "Of course not. But I can explain on the way."


	17. Chapter Final: Welcome to Your Family

Chapter Final: Welcome to Your Family

"Congratulations," the older grim reaper congratulated while stamping the folder we had gotten for information as completed. "You're officially full-fledged grim reapers.

"Now, go get yourselves some proper spectacles."

I bowed to the pair of grim reapers, though my stomach had yet to return from gathering Elizabeth's soul. Oddly, I was having mixed feelings about it. "Thank you sir." Erin simply left.

"So what department are you going to go into?" I questioned, catching up with him, though my stomach was still back in the assignment room. "Surely you must have an idea."

"Not Dispatch," he sighed. "That...That _thing_ was-"

"-terrifying?" I joked.

"Shut up." He punched me lightly, though he was smiling. "I'm going to go to General Affairs. It's just paperwork, after all. You?"

"I'm going to Dispatch," I told him.

He choked on his own spit.

"From what Mr. Spears has told me, they're all slackers and idiots, and I thought that if anyone would be the one to change their ways, it might as well be me."

"Well, good luck with that."

I will never take revenge again. "You too."

We had arrived at the Spectacles division, at the door that I went through on my first day of being a grim reaper. Pops looked up from his work of filing down yet another pair of glasses.

"Finally grew up, eh?"

I smiled at him and bowed. "Good morning to you as well, Pops. Could you please show us through the process of obtaining our spectacles?"

In the end, I decided upon a pair of titanium spectacles with a coating of amethyst on the part that hangs around the ears to not irritate them. My prescription, as expected, was nil and shocked many. I had retained perfect eyesight from my angel days and was determined that although I needed to hide many aspects of myself at this occupation, I would not hide my prescription.

"There was one other reaper that had perfect eyesight..." the reapers around me gossiped.

"Congratulations on becoming a reaper," a voice behind me congratulated. I turned around and smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Spears," I thanked, smiling. "I learned from the best, after all."

"Walk with me," he ordered.

"Certainly, sir."

Together, servant and master strode out of the main building of the Grim Reaper Dispatch.

"Sir, I have talked with Mr. Landers, as you have requested. He believed my allegiance wholeheartedly."

"Good. I have just sent in the form requesting that you join under my supervision for your probation period," Master William explained. "But you're quite popular with all divisions of the Dispatch. What did you score on your exams?"

"Triple stars on practical skills and ethics and double stars for written exams."

Master William sighed. "What am I going to do with you? You're as bad as Grell."

 _The forest is lovely, dark and deep._

"Aw~" I purred, smiling happily. "What are you talking about, Mr. Spears? I only tried the best I could!"

 _But I have promises to keep._

"Definitely worse than Grell."

 _And miles to go before I sleep._

But as he said those words, his face broke out in a slight smile. I smiled in return.

 _And miles to go before I sleep._


	18. Author's Note

Author's Note

Thank you for reading all the way through the story! As you can tell, I like to complete projects, then post them, so it might be a while before I post something again. Please give me feedback on my story, because it's the only way to get better. No matter how small or big the criticism, I will accept it.

Because of a certain user's comments, I have posted the chapters that I wrote and cut for one reason or another. Please keep in mind that since they were cut, they are a bit more unpolished than the main story. I have provided them in the order that they would appear chronologically, with the numbers that they would have had had they been put in.


	19. Bonus Chapter 1 of 3

(A/N: Because these are bonus chapters, the writing may not be up to par to the main story. You have been warned.)

Chapter 1: Welcome to Not Your Family

"Mey-Rin," the orange-haired Finny wondered, raking up the leaves slowly and carefully, "what do you think happens to you when you die?"

I made doubly sure that I was sweeping the dust _away_ from the house rather than _towards_ it before answering, "I don't know," before adding "No I _don't_ " and a small, "Why do you ask?"

Finny beheld the large expanse of open sky above him. A slight wind whistled through the trees and blew a few leaves Finny was raking into tiny whirlwinds before suddenly dropping off, leaving them to flutter to the ground. After shyly peeking over the horizon, the sun grabbed hold of the hills and shoved itself upward, ejecting a sigh of bright light that arced across the sky as the gold turned to green.

"Woah!" Finny exclaimed. "A shooting star _this_ late?"

Indeed, that ejection of sun was arcing across the sky in much the same way a shooting star did that one cold November night. My first thought was, "How pretty" but as it sped closer and closer, my thoughts turned sour, reminding me that a projectile that large could easily have ramifications for the manor. My glasses immediately came off and folded into my maid's dress while my handguns shot out and I took perfect aim at the obstacle about to crash into the trees.

Finny had already picked up a nearby pillar and was prepared to chuck it directly to where the piece of glowing sun was slamming into the trunks and branches of trees. Abruptly, I leveled my guns at the attacker and emptied my cartridges. Finny jumped and ran with his weapon choice to the crater that the object had made, only meters away from where he was standing.

My eyes were wild as I reloaded my guns without thinking, without the slightest inkling as to what the creature that groaned from the middle of the crater was. I didn't care, as long as the Young Master was safe. Shoot now, ask questions later. As I kept my eyes firmly on the attacker, Finny ran forward and was about to bash the living daylights out of the material that fell down when-

"Stop!"

Finny halted in beating the...ahem, _sense,_ out of the whatever it was that fell out of the sky. He dropped his weapon at the epitome of perfection that had emerged from the pulsating white light. Sebastian Michaelis, in all of his midnight black glory, seemed to clear the smoke of my guns away at his leisure, his eyes only focused on the little bundle of white he held.

"The Young Mistress is not to be harmed," he stated. Finny and I balked at the little bundle in his arms. Minor cuts and bruises adorned her face and upper body, and a strange white cloth covered her, though I could not see much else, save that the cloth was punctured and grew to a dark, deep red as I watched. Her arms were bare and covered in long, straight marks that oozed crimson. Spun silver seemed to ravel around her head, just as her skin seemed to be made of the thinnest and most fragile porcelain.

I have known Sebastian Michaelis for a few years, and he has never done me wrong. I have complete faith in that superman that somehow is up earlier than all of us and goes to sleep later than all of us yet is never tired by, surprised by nor befuddled by any of our antics nor any out-of-the-ordinary situations that arise, ever. He could run the entire manor on his own, but for some reason he picked up idiots like Finny, Baldroy and I to assist him. He was the one beside the Young Master for as long as I was a servant here and I was picked out personally by him when I could not shoot a man with his child. I admit to even harboring a small crush on him, however improper and scandalous it may be.

But seeing him there holding that child up as if it was the most precious thing (besides the Young Master) that he had ever seen, was wrong. There was something about the two of them, the young girl and Sebastian, that did not sit right with me. It was a tight clenching within my stomach and an overall clenching of muscles that only spelled doom and despair.

I put that down to jealousy.

Sebastian smiled his closed-eye smile at me. "Mey-Rin," he commanded, "prepare a room for the Young Mistress. Finny, tell Baldroy to clean up this mess and report this to the young master. I will be attending to the Young Mistress's wounds."

The steel in his voice was absolute. Both Finny and I shouted, "Yes!" and rushed to our tasks without even thinking _why_. _Why_ Sebastian insisted upon treating the Young Mistress' wounds, even though I could have done it, and with much less scandal likely to arise if this ever came to light. _Why_ he did not want to report this to the Young Master personally, when he was the Young Master's most trusted servant. _Why_ or how he was there at the exact time and place when he should have been waking the Young Master up that morning.

So no one knew why, _why_ , every night since she regained consciousness, the Young Mistress screamed if left alone for too long.

* * *

A/N: In this section, I will be explaining why I cut this chapter from the story.

I cut this one because it could be inferred from the jump between Prologue: Dissatisfied Angel and Chapter 6: Welcome to Your Not Family. I also did not know a way to fit Mey-Rin's jealousy into the story, since it would only come up in her commentary, and she did not have many chapters where she would be the narrator. I tried to remove as many chapters as I could while still giving the reader ample information as to how the characters thought, since I try to make every sentence count.


	20. Bonus Chapter 2 of 3

Chapter 7: Please Don't Kill Yourself

"' _Who is he?_ '" Sebastian translated for all of us as the Young Mistress pointed to the butler who had just wrecked her and the Young Master's breakfast. The butler in question, a certain Grell Sutcliff, was staring, horrified, not only at the mess that he had made with the collision of Finny and the trolley, but now the ruined breakfast that lay scattered all over the floor.

"This is Grell Sutcliff," the Young Master explained. "He's a butler my aunt brought to me so that Sebastian could train him."

"' _The aunt?_ '"

"The lady in red," Sebastian verbally answered.

Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought that Grell would only inconvenience Sebastian and that _I_ would not suffer any harm."

"Please bear with it, my lord. We return him tomorrow when we visit the townhouse, after all."

Ciel sighed in frustration. The brown-haired, ponytail-wearing Grell seemed to shrink in size as I, Baldroy, and Finny all glared him down. He apologized, "I'm terribly sorry for causing you all such trouble..."

He suddenly straightened up and pulled a knife from his inner sleeve. "I know!" he declared, his red ribbon swishing dramatically with his hair, "I will die once and for all! I'll atone with my death!" he pointed the knife at his own neck and bent his head back to accommodate the length of the blade.

The Young Mistress stared on at Grell. Sebastian, on the other hand, dropped the Young Mistress' hand. The Young Master frowned in his chair but did nothing. Finny just stood in shock as the events unfolded before his eyes.

"Hey, don't do anythin' rash!" Baldroy burst out, jumping forward a few steps as if to stop him, but then stopping there in case his action really did prompt Grell to take his own life. Nevertheless, Baldroy remained tense, lest Grell really hurt himself.

"Hey," I muttered to no one in particular, "where did he get that knife in the first place?" We certainly owned no knife like that in the kitchen. The hilt was too decorative and the blade was centered, sharpened along both edges to create a blade unsuitable for cutting vegetables nor any kind of meat. Its only purpose, I could glean, was in killing people.

The first sound was a soft thump.

The second was of flesh hitting flesh.

The next was a harder thump.

And the last was of a high-pitched wail of pain.

When the blurs of motion were over, Grell was sprawled out on the floor, the Young Mistress was standing over him, and the knife Grell was previously holding was very far from where Grell was. Grell's cheek was swelling up badly. "What…?" was probably what all of us were thinking. How had the Young Mistress gotten to Grell in that short amount of time? Why did she look so angry?

Her sharp violet eyes bore down on Grell as if she were going to kill him. There was a tenseness in the air about her, as if she were a tiger about to strike. I instinctively reached for my guns; her eyes followed the gesture, but instead switched back to Grell. The Young Mistress' hands were in tight cannon balls, and if she were holding a diamond, I would not be surprised to find it crushed after she was done holding it.

"Y-Young mistress…?" I piped up. Sebastian crouched down next to Grell.

"Grell, do you know why the Young Mistress is angry with you?"

"N-No, I was only t-trying to atone for-"

The Young Mistress took one step forward. Grell scuttled along to the wall opposite her. "Grell," Sebastian sighed, "she's angry because she loves you."

A pin dropping would sound like a gunshot at point blank range in the pure silence that ensued.

Sebastian picked up the knife Grell dropped(?) and handed it back to him. "The Young Mistress loves everyone," he explained. "She considers every life valuable and would hate it for you to squander yours in the throes of passion when you might have a hidden talent to share with the world."

Tears spouted in my eyes, obscuring my vision. When I looked around, the same effect happened on Finny's and Baldroy's faces as well. We all stared at the Young Mistress in wonder and awe. "That...That was beautiful," I half-spoke. The Young Mistress visibly flinched. "I...the Young Mistress is so thoughtful, yes she is!"

Sebastian stood beside the Young Mistress, who helped Grell to a crouching position. Immediately, my body tensed at the contact between Sebastian and the Young Mistress. But then again, _I_ would much rather be in that position than the one I am in now. The Young Mistress clasped Grell's hands with one hand, and traced the letters she wanted to say to Sebastian, who translated it, in the other. "' _You shouldn't take your life so lightly_ ,'" Sebastian chastised. "' _You don't know how valuable it is. Not to mention, the world highly frowns upon suicide in more ways than one. So please,_ '" Here the Young Mistress smiled. "' _please don't say such awful things._ '"

Grell lowered his eyes in shame from the Young Mistress, who stepped away from him. She took her hand away from Sebastian's and the uneasy feeling abated. Sebastian examined the tea that Grell had prepared through examining the broken dishes. While walking back to her seat, the Young Mistress sighed and her fierce expression dropped from her face like she was dropping a jewel into a box.

Sebastian also sighed. "In any case," he admonished while examining the broken tea set. "I cannot believe that you would serve the Young Master such fragranceless tea."

* * *

A/N: This one contained no point that I had not hammered home already with Chapter 2: Blood of Innocents. Alice hates people killing themselves and killing in general, though she does use it to achieve her goals. This chapter was mostly written when I was still trying to copy the anime version of Black Butler scene for scene, but was cut after I realized that I should not belittle the reader by handing them Alice's theology on a silver plate when Alice herself already has had a mental breakdown about it.


	21. Bonus Chapter 3 of 3

Chapter 8: Thoughts

I undoubtedly respect Angel 51, I thought. The Demon had already left the room, left to get his instruments of torture. I outran him yesterday, but only because I surprised him. No such easy way out today.

Continuing my train of thought, I pondered, I have...this feeling that makes it hard to say otherwise. And he loved the Lord, yet pursued his goal of trying to take over Heaven. But that sounded wrong...If he took over Heaven and succeeded, then why had I left? He must have failed or other complications came up. And perhaps I was implicated somehow, which made me isolated, which would make me want to leave to the point of writing a message to myself in my own blood and by losing my memories, though to what end of letting me go free, I do not know. I also do not know what Angel 51 looks like, nor do I know anything concrete about him, except that he is male, is very ambitious, is one of the Fallen but is not a demon, and is strong for a low level angel, though since it has been at least a few days since he has Fallen, his power must be rapidly diminishing unless he has found some way to stop it from doing so. He and I have had many exchanges, so I can assume that he is my friend or acquaintance.

Moving on to my current position. I cannot stay here, because although I respect the Fallen, the specific goals of this candidate for Master are not to my liking. Revenge is not something that I particularly admire, nor is senseless killing when one could simply perform a mass memory wipe. Killing in general, unless in extreme scenarios, should not be condoned. But I do have to stay here until I find a more suitable candidate to be my Master. And to complicate matters, I do not know anything about where I am or what requirements a Master should have, only that their goals have to be at either the preservation of something that they hold dear or to the benefit of humanity, without any meaningless death. I have killed innocents for no better reason than having to protect myself when given enough time and stealth, I could have done otherwise. I...cannot forgive myself for that, but their lives are gone and have passed into Judgment. I cannot know if that was meant to be or not, and I do not know how to contact the Lord who does, nor can I face him ever again.

I do not know the specifics of what I can do under my Master, and cannot test the boundaries without setting up a temporary Ownership with someone who I trust deeply. Which would be no one.

My wings hurt at the thought, but it was true. All of these people worked for The Earl, and The Earl worked towards revenge. So, would that also mean that all of these people are working towards revenge as well? Or are they just trying to support The Earl in any way possible? Were those smiles and hugs they shared with me in the hallways and rooms of the Phantomhive estate just to further their master's goals, or did they actually mean them?

I would not know.

Somewhere, in the back of my head, I was screaming. It was strange; it was creepy; it was unnerving. This entire situation was my own doing, and no matter how much I could blame The Demon and his master, it was still my own choice, step by step by step by step, that inevitably led up to my deed. I could have, at any point, stopped to think about it and chosen a different path.

But I did not.

Boundless possibilities my brain explored, each one more plausible than the last of how I could have changed my actions. So many lives I had sacrificed, so many slain, and to what gain? Someone who kidnapped a child was dead, but could have simply been imprisoned. His workers, who either did not know better, or were forced to do so, went along with his deeds. He said that all should be killed, no matter what the reason, but that is not so.

"You will not run tonight?" The Demon questioned, opening the door to my room.

 _I have no such luxury today,_ I admitted.

As I raised my hand to my face, I was aware of a gnawing feeling in my heart.

If someone was forced to do what they did, then that person should be spared.

Part of me wanted to fly up to the heavens, beg them to take me back because down here, I felt vulnerable and afraid. No one to trust, no one to love. Everyone was unscrewed in the head. Or was it more likely that _I_ was the one unscrewed, and everyone else was just fine? Assigning static numbers to each person, it was much more likely that I am the one with the problem.

I stared out at the moon, where many angels shined their brilliance down towards the Earth in a pleasing, peaceful beauty. No, I am right. Taking a life is wrong, and should be avoided at all costs. They are the ones missing screws. I just would have to hold onto that for now.

The Demon removed his gloves, revealing fingernails as black as his soul.

"Shall we begin?"

* * *

A/N: This was the chapter that would explain Alice's conflicting desires and motivations in plain language, but it is also very boring and dry. I could not get through reading it without falling asleep. It _does_ serve the function to set up Chapter 3: The Scream, but I rewrote the story so that torturing Alice was hinted at in Chapter 4: Introductions, and had it placed right after The Scream to strongly hint that Ciel had ordered Sebastian to torture Alice.


End file.
